CSAI

Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions


Gajda, Selassie and Berhe 2009: 47, fig. 2

INSCRIPTION INFORMATION

LanguageAncient South Arabian » Sabaic » Ethiopian Early Sabaic
AlphabetAncient South Arabian
Script typologyMonumental writing
Writing techniqueRelief
Measure of letters6
Chronology
PeriodA
Textual typologyDedicatory text
Royal inscriptionYes

TEXT


   1   Wʿrn mlkn ṣrʿn bn Rdʾm w-S²ḫtm ʿr(k)←[yt](n) hḥds¹ l-ʾlm↯qh ywm tbʿl byt ʾlm↯qh b-Yḥʾ ←b-nḫy ʿṯtr w-ʾlmqh w-ḏt-Ḥmym w-ḏt-Bʿ←dn|

Apparatus
1ʿrktn or ʿrkytn are the epithets used by the royal wives in the Pre-Aksumite inscriptions, so both reconstructions are possible (See Bernand et alii 1991: 68, 75, 78, 116).
I. Gajda considers ʿrktn a proper name, epithet of S²ḫtm.

TRANSLATIONS

English

   1  Wʿrn, the victorious king, son of Rdʾm and of S²ḫtm, the wife, restored (the altar) for ʾlmqh, when he became the chief of the temple of ʾlmqh at Yḥʾ, with the guidance of ʿṯtr and ʾlmqh and ḏt-Ḥmym and ḏt-Bʿdn.
1For the etymology of ṣrʿn see Schneider 1973: 386 (See also Nebes 2010 b: 216-217).
Nebes suggests "wife" as translation of ʿrktn (Nebes 2010 b: 218-219). The verb hḥds¹ is from ḤDṮ; it is usual in the Ethio-Sabaic inscriptions to find s¹ instead of ṯ (See Drewes 1959: 84 and Avanzini 1989: 473-474).
Drewes 1959: 84Drewes, Abraham J. 1959. Les inscriptions de Melazo. Annales d'Ethiopie, 3: 83-99.
Schneider 1973: 386Schneider, Roger 1973. Deux inscriptions Sudarabiques du Tigré. Bibliotheca Orientalis, 30: 385-389.
Avanzini 1989: 473-474Avanzini, Alessandra 1989. Un exemple de langues en contact : les inscriptions sud-arabes d'Éthiopie. Pages 469-478 in Toufic Fahd (ed.). L'Arabie préislamique et son environnement historique et culturel. Actes du Colloque de Strasbourg, 24-27 juin 1987. (Travaux du Centre de recherche sur le Proche-Orient et la Grèce antiques; Université des sciences humaines de Strasbourg, 10). Leiden: Brill.
Nebes 2010 b: 214-226Nebes, Norbert 2010. Die Inschriften aus dem ʾAlmaqah-Tempel in ʿAddi ʾAkawǝḥ (Tigray). Zeitschrift für Orientarchäologie, 3: 214-237.

OBJECT INFORMATION

DepositWuqro, Museum
Support typeArtefact » Altar
ShapeSquared
MaterialStone
Link to object record

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin and provenance
Modern siteMäqabər Ga‘əwa
Ancient siteUnknown
Geographical areaWuqro
CountryEthiopia
FoundIn situ
Archaeological contextReligious context: Temple of ʾlmqh
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bernand, Drewes and Schneider 1991: 68, 74-75, 78, 114-116Bernand, Etienne, Drewes, Abraham J. and Schneider, Roger 1991. Recueil des inscriptions de l'Éthiopie des périodes pré-axoumite et axoumite. Introduction de Francis Anfray. Paris: de Boccard. [Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres]
Berhe 2009: 20-21, 22, 30, figs 17-18Berhe, Hiluf 2009. Preliminary report on the archaeological excavation of Mäqabər Ga‘əwa at Addi Akaweh (Tigrai, Ethiopia). Annales d'Éthiopie, 24: 15-23.
Gajda, Selassie and Berhe 2009: 37-39, 47, fig. 2Gajda, Iwona, Selassie, Yohannes Gebre and Berhe, Hiluf 2009. Pre-Aksumite Inscriptions from Mäqabər Ga‘əwa (Tigrai, Ethiopia). Annales d'Éthiopie, 24: 33-48.
Nebes 2010 b: 216-226, figs 1-4Nebes, Norbert 2010. Die Inschriften aus dem ʾAlmaqah-Tempel in ʿAddi ʾAkawǝḥ (Tigray). Zeitschrift für Orientarchäologie, 3: 214-237.